Pedro Joseph Piernas was a Spanish military official who rose to the rank of commandant in 1768 and served as Lieutenant governor of Illinois between 1770 and 1775.
In 1747, Pedro Piernas is believed to have joined the Spanish Army and he probably obtained the ranks of infantry captain,[1] colonel, commandant, and lieutenant.
(Louisiana was French territory until the colony passed into Spanish hands under the terms of the Treaty of Paris at the end of the Seven Years' War) in 1763.
These acts of power, combined with a less oppressive government and the incorporation of French people in many subordinate offices, helped Piernas gain support as the new Spanish governor.
[5] Piernas also sent soldiers up the river with wampum (shell beads used as a native money for the Eastern Woodlands tribes) belts to enlist the aid of the chiefs against the American interlopers.
He also built a small chapel to replace the tent that was formally used for services and encourage a Capuchin friar, Father Valentin, to live in the village as their primary resident priest.